


Honesty

by robron_til_the_end



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Honesty, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:37:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8489920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robron_til_the_end/pseuds/robron_til_the_end
Summary: A one shot, based on the upcoming spoilers with Rebecca. What should happen between Aaron and Robert if everyone was honest. Which they won't be because it's soap, but I can dream, right?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm taking a break from writing the boys (except for After the Credits, which I will continue as and when) so this will be my last chapter for a while. Unless I get suitably inspired from them on screen. Anyway, that said, enjoy!

“Right, I need to talk to you, but I need you to promise me you’re not going to fly off the handle and be all… well, Aaron,” Robert said, speaking very quickly in a rush.

“Finally,” Aaron said, sitting on the arm of the sofa, looking at Robert in the kitchen. “I’m not an idiot, Robert. I know something’s been bothering you for days.” Robert sometimes hated how well Aaron knew him, but only sometimes. “Go on,” Aaron said.

“Okay,” Robert said. Now it had come to the point, he didn’t know quite how to say it. “Rebecca kissed me.”

“What?” Aaron said, face falling. _Great. Subtle as a brick, Robert_ , he said to himself.

“I pushed her away,” Robert said, getting that in there quickly before Aaron leapt to conclusions. “I’m not doing anything to think she’s got a shot. Because she doesn’t. If I really wanted her, would I even be telling you this?”

“Robert, breathe,” Aaron said, seeing that his fiancé was incredibly agitated. He wasn’t exactly happy, but he was actually listening to Robert’s words rather than assuming the worst “This bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t want you to think… we’ve got to a really good place, Aaron. I don’t want to wreck it. I’m really trying not to, I want to be honest with you.”

“Robert, just… I’ll ask this once. Do you want her?”

“No, I want you,” Robert said, his eyes earnest and open.

“Okay,” Aaron said, zipping up his hoodie and heading towards the door.

“What?” Robert said, frowning at him. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to have a word with her,” Aaron said darkly.

“Aaron, please don’t,” Robert said, having a feeling nothing good would come from this. “Just leave it, it’s fine, it’s over.”

“I left it last time,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “I’ve had enough.”

“Aaron…”

“Flip it the other way,” Aaron said quickly. “Just for a minute. What if you were throwing yourself at her, and she kept saying no?”

“I’m not!” Robert said quickly, hearing the accusation even though that wasn’t Aaron’s intention.

“No, I know,” Aaron replied impatiently. “You’re missing the point. If you threw yourself at a woman over and over again who was uncomfortable, that wouldn’t be okay.” Robert suddenly understood what Aaron was getting at and he shook his head.

“Leave it.”

“No,” Aaron said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“What’re you going to do?”

“Oh, relax,” Aaron said, correctly reading his face. “I might not like her, but I’m not going to punch a woman. Who d’you take me for?”

“Right,” Robert said, shaking his head. Of course Aaron wouldn’t. It was just… he’d seen Aaron when he was incredibly angry, been on the receiving end of it enough times too. A particularly vivid memory of James Barton having a smashed bottle over his head came to mind. But no, Aaron had mellowed, right? Robert didn’t get another word in before Aaron had left. Robert sighed and rolled his eyes. No good could come of this.

* * *

 

Aaron had heard Rebecca’s by now unfortunately familiar voice drifting through from the front of the pub. But he didn’t want to cause a scene, he just wanted to talk to her. Aaron knew he had a point, her throwing herself at Robert once was understandable, even if the thought made Aaron’s skin crawl and his mind burn with jealousy. That was partly his own fault, though. The way he and Robert started, they both knew how good the thrill of an affair could feel. And he might not like it, but if someone knew Robert’s history, she might think she had a chance. But once Robert had said no, she should definitely take the point and back off. The other way around, a man continuing to harass a woman like this, it would not be okay.

He watched the door of the pub, waiting for her to leave. From the last month or so of experience, Rebecca tended to stay for one drink, then leave. Or slap her sister and march out. Aaron’s slightly disappointed he missed that one. It didn’t take long for Rebecca to leave, her heels clicking on the street as she got to her car.

“A word,” Aaron said bluntly.

“Okay,” she said, dropping the car keys back into her handbag. “Here, or somewhere more private?”

“This isn’t going to be a long conversation,” Aaron said, not particularly fussed who overheard them in the street. “Leave Robert alone.”

“What?” she asked, smiling at him, feigning innocence.

“Cut the crap,” Aaron said. “He told me everything.” Rebecca looked at him and sighed, reading his face that Aaron was telling the truth. “You know, there’s a word for people like you. People who can’t take no for an answer, and keep forcing themselves on someone who’s clearly not interested.”

“It’s not like that,” Rebecca said, shaking her head at the implication. “I’m not like that. We’ve got history.”

“What, and that gives you the right to keep on throwing yourself at him, does it?” Aaron asked incredulously. “He was stupid enough to sleep with you once, so you keep coming back? No matter how many times he tells you no?”

“Oh, told you it was once did he?” Rebecca sniped, seeing an opening.

“Didn’t get into the details,” Aaron said, hardly surprised that Robert kept her hanging on for as long as he could get away with. He knew Robert after all. “Because you don’t matter. Stop trying to kiss my fiancé at every chance you’ve got. I’m not a particularly patient person.”

“And what if he wanted me?” Rebecca said. “What then?”

“He doesn’t want you,” Aaron said, with more confidence than he expected. Robert’s honesty had effected him, he’d wanted Robert to be truly his for so long now, it was almost overwhelming that he was.

“What, and you believe him?” Rebecca asked with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“I trust him,” Aaron said simply. “We’ve been through too much together for him to throw it away for a cheap screw.” She flinched at that, hating the description, but Aaron knew that even if Robert had been tempted by her, that would have been all it was.

“You think warning me off of him is going to change anything at all?” Rebecca said, smiling incredulously at him. “Seriously?”

“I’m not warning you off him,” Aaron said, shrugging at her. “If Robert wants to cheat, he will. But keep going after him when he repeatedly tells you no… then we’re going to have a big problem. And I don’t think either of us want that, do we?”

“No,” Rebecca said reluctantly. “No, we don’t. Robert know you’re here, talking to me?”

“It might have come up into conversation,” Aaron said, eyes glittering. Rebecca turned to the car before she thought better of it.

“What hold have you got over him?” she asked. “I’ve never seen him like this. When you’re with him, the act he puts on just… isn’t there.”

“I don’t buy that mask he uses, never did,” Aaron said. “He knows damn well he can’t lie to me. But I am not discussing my relationship with him any more.”

“Fine,” she said. “Consider it dropped.”

“Good.”

* * *

 

Robert and Aaron didn’t have a chance to talk privately until that evening in their bedroom. Liv and Noah were flitting around and not taking the hint that they wanted some privacy. Robert nodded upstairs and Aaron took the point.

“Why did you do that?” Robert said, exasperated once the bedroom door was closed. The time since their earlier conversation hadn’t helped him to calm down.

“You don’t know what I said to her,” Aaron said fairly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“God, Aaron, I was handling it,” Robert said, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Well you clearly weren’t,” Aaron said. “Do you even realise how upset you were earlier? It’s not right, Robert.”

“Aaron…”

“Unless you were just covering and …”

“Don’t go there,” Robert said firmly. “I don’t lie to you. Anyone else, but not to you, not any more.”

“I know,” Aaron said. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Aaron sighed heavily.

“What did you say to her?” Robert asked, sitting next to him, calming down a touch. He knew Aaron was always on his side, he wanted to be honest with him, always. He was going to start this marriage much differently to the last one. His wedding to Chrissie had always been the goal, and he hadn’t really thought much beyond that. With Aaron, he didn’t see their wedding as an ending point. He wanted a marriage, and he wanted it to work long term. It wouldn’t if he got up to his old tricks of always lying, whether he had to or not.

“Mm,” Aaron said under his breath. “I made a point that throwing herself at you, or anyone actually, when you keep saying no is a bit uncomfortable to say the least. That’s all, I felt like it needed a conversation.” Robert wanted to drop this now. No good going over it again and again.

“You trust me, though,” Robert said. A hint of a question in his voice. “Right?”

“Robert, I would never have said yes if I didn’t.” Robert’s eyes went to the ring and he smiled slowly. He adored seeing that ring on Aaron’s hand. A sign to the world that Aaron belonged to him. And he enjoyed wearing the other one of the matching pair too, a lot. Robert leaned across and kissed him gently. It was a sweet tender kiss, much more so than usual.

“I think we should start planning,” Robert said.

“Planning what?”

“Our wedding,” Robert said, eyes bright. Aaron rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “You’ve recovered from the crash, and the surgery. We even managed to share a bath last week.” The problem of going near water had been one both of them had struggled with, and both of them refused to admit.

“Mm,” Aaron said, smiling at the memory. “I think we were distracted completely away from the water though…”

“That was the idea,” Robert said with a grin, making Aaron chuckle in a way that lightened Robert‘s heart.

“When do you want, then?” Aaron asked. “What kind of date would you like?” Robert smiled slowly at him

“Anything that’s not February,” Robert said darkly.

“Yeah, we’re not mentioning _that_ ,” Aaron said. Robert laughed into another kiss, feeling Aaron’s body against his own.

 


End file.
